With a heavy breath and sweaty back: Lieren—his mind strained to its absolute limit—shaped the invisible energy within him, granting it an unequivocal form.
The boy effectuated the energy within himself into its simplest technique: Mana Vision.
Granted, Lieren did not have any kind of experience or guidance—most of his facile knowledge either being things he read, or wisdom thought by Barett.
The boy's focus impetuously waned.
With the piercing sound of glass shattering, the mana within him discombobulated, leaking out of him—or so Lieren thought.
Mana techniques, the simplest application of magic, are the cornerstone of any spell, requiring complete mastery on either one or both techniques.
These are the external and internal mana techniques; the application of mana within and outside of the body. Without mastery over these two techniques, the chances of a budding mage creating a spell is nigh zero.
And that's exactly why Lieren is working himself to the bone trying to learn how to do the latter, even going as far as dismissing valuable sleep and meals occasionally—just to reserve as much time as possible to train.
With a heavy breath, Lieren focused on the mana within, wildly trying to escape like a caged beast, swirling and twirling inside of him.
He raised his brows. "That…shouldn't happen."
Once control over mana wanes significantly, like when Lieren remembered that nocuous woman, the mana currently in use dissipates, having fulfilled its purpose. Whether this is intentional or not matters not; a ruthless, but ultimately fair and unforgiving, aspect.
Magic, after all, is all about control.
And that is why Lieren is beyond confused right now.
He closed his eyes and focused on the wild mana once again, acclimatizing it. This time, however, the response was significantly slower, requiring a full minute of concentration just to influence the wild mana—roughly two and a half time required if he used his regular mana supply.
The boy's sapphire eyes glowed bright as a lantern as his eyes filled with the wild mana, allowing him to see the world much more clearly.
Mana of all colors: red, blue, green, and brown—the four basic elements of modern magic.
Then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. And Lieren felt the world's mundanity all the more.
"So that's what its like…" He mumbled to himself, noticing familiar light footsteps.
If it's like that, then…
Lieren poked his head out of the wagon and greeted the approaching figure.
"What's up, Red?" Lieren cheerfully said. There was a jovial tone to his voice.
"…!" The handmaid recoiled, startled. As if she had not been the one approaching the boy.
There was a light blush to her cheeks and a simple letter in her hand.
"Is that for me?" The boy muttered lightly, keeping his voice low despite his exciting discovery. It was hard, but he just had to deal with that for now.
I bet Harita would be surprised.
The girl nodded vigorously and handed the letter with both hands.
Lieren took it with a light smile.
He's been doing that a lot lately.
The boy examined the letter, checking the back and the front with a quick a glance.
The envelope was made of fine parchment, a clear symbol of nobility.
'Only they would waste money on stupid things like this.'
There was blood red wax seal on the front, bearing a symbol of some kind—most likely from Bryne Bravefeather, the abusive nobleman.
Lieren, fiercely suspicious, stared daggers at the letter.
'Why would he give someone so close a letter? And to me, specifically.' The boy had a lot of conjectures regarding the letter.
With a brief flash, the mana within him flared, igniting his eyes with mana.
'As I thought…' Lieren glared vehemently at the seal—more specifically at the malicious smoky aura transuding out of it.
"L…Lieren…?" Red, a frown on her face and her hands clasp in front of her chest, peered through Lieren's glowing sapphire eyes.
"Ah!" He wiped his eyes, trying to cover his scowl and fury.
"Don't worry. It's fine. Some dirt just got in my eye. Terrible, disgusting dirt." The boy spat poison, making the shy girl flinch once again.
"S…sorry…! I…I did not mean to do it. I…I was just ordered to. Please, d…don't—" Lieren grabbed her shoulders before she could say any more.
"N…no, it's fine. I'm not annoyed at you. Promise. I was just…frustrated." The boy looked around for an excuse, only to come up empty.
Of all the things Lieren hated in the world, lying was the top of them all.
"You see, Harita has been urging me to go hunting with him. I say no every time. An every time, he would look as dejected that even I feel bad. I mean, just look at me. I'm practically a twig!" He hang his head and looked at the ground as he spoke.
Lieren despised lying, and thus spoke only the truth.
"I don't know…I just… Its not like I don't want to hang out with him. I just have a lot on my plate right now. And I really need to take care of it first, before anything else. Even before him." There was a cold sadness in his eyes as he said that; a dark undertone of jaundice and contempt. Not at the man, but at himself—especially himself.
Before the awkward silence could take over, Lieren felt strong hands wrap around in a tight embrace, pulling him into a warm comforting hug.
"R…Red…?" He barely sputtered out, the edges of his ears turning pink.
Strong calloused hands patted the Lieren's head rhythmically, relaxing the boy.
"Grandma always said that hugs can solve every problem. Especially personal ones." The girl's voice was soft and euphonious, easing the boy's heart.
There was still silence, not of embarrassment, but beautiful, tranquil serenity.
Lieren could feel the cracks of his heart spunkily mend.
A small fire was born within the boy.
"If you two want some alone time, then we won't mind. Just that…you could at least try to make an effort to be private about it."
"Eep—!!" Red and Lieren both jumped, hurriedly taking distance from each other.
"Kids…so naive, and yet so brave. Cherish it while you can, I know I am." Following the teasing voice, Lieren could see Harita—his Aegis—standing there, a larger than normal boar on his side. He glanced at the letter in Lieren's hand suspiciously with a glint in his eyes.
'Mana Vision…'
"What do you have there?" His eyes were trained on the letter with rapid attention.
"Oh…umm… The Viscount sent it. I haven't opened it, obviously…right?" Lieren offered the letter with shaky hands.
'Why am I so nervous?'
Harita immediately took it, dropping the dead boar with a loud thud. He eyed the seal especially.
"U…ummm…!!" Lieren shouted, the words caught in his throat. He cleared it with a cough and continued.
"I…I want to go hunting…!"